Appeals & Adherence to Policy

Parents have the right to appeal administrative and disciplinary decisions to the Superintendent and ultimately to the School Board. When parents do appeal to the School Board, a committee of three members reviews the case and issues a final ruling. I have sat in on a few administrative appeals now, and I find that in these cases the administration has consistently upheld the policies set forth by the School Board. In cases where the Board overturns an administrative appeal, members base the decision on the privilege of not being bound by policy, and the ability to avoid unintended consequences of policy.

That’s not good enough, though. Most parents don’t appeal all the way to the Superintendent, much less the School Board, even though the option is laid out to them in plain sight. A policy producing unintended consequences should be modified if possible, even if only to give the administrators carrying it out the discretion to avoid such unintended consequences without needing a number of appeals.